Industrial Pumps Blog

For clients, the total cost of ownership is the primary focus when making an acquisition decision.  This runs true no matter what the industry or application is involved, but whenever a decision is made the costs which should be included are not only the initial deployment or acquisition costs, but also the life cycle costs which provide a more accurate costing. Lifecycle costs include energy consumption costs, the opportunity cost associated with downtime, the cost of maintenance and spare parts.  Collating all these costs provides a Total Cost of Ownership or TCO.

The challenge is to source and implement an industrial pumps solution which minimize the TCO but achieve all the project deliverables.  Knowing what pumping principles are involved in a specific project (and therefore what type of pump is most appropriate) is essential, as is making a proper assessment of the dimensions involved.

Overall, the TO will be determined by numerous factors, some of which are under the control of the plant operator and some which are not.  Minimizing TCO involves:

• Pump optimization in respect of the liquid, especially taking into account viscosity;
• Optimization of pump system components;
• Understanding and addressing the deliverables of the pumping system;
• Optimization of the pump drive;
• Ensuring installation is optimal with minimal installation and downtime for other plant operating processes; and
• Ensuring dimensions are fully understood and are optimized.

All of these factors must be considered if TCO is to be minimized. However, it is not enough to understand each factor in isolation as they all interact to one degree or another – this means a holistic approach to the pumping process must be adopted, in order to gain the most accurate understanding of the project and the underlying cost issues.  Pumping components and solutions must be designed and implemented to work in relation to the surrounding infrastructure and also to handle the liquid or gas which is the subject of the pumping system.

The last Presidential election encompassed the debate over whether to commence offshore drilling operations in our territorial waters in order to reduce our reliance on overseas oil producers.  Whatever the eco-political debate on drilling off our shores, it is a reality that the Gulf of Mexico presents significant engineering challenges and is a prime oil production region for the United States and the world.

The Gulf has seen a rapid expansion in the number of drilling platforms which is set to continue given the increased efforts at uncovering hidden reserves.  The spate of hurricanes over the last few years did create a block on oil and gas production, however this has been reversed and production now exceeds the 2006 production numbers (470 million barrels of oil).

The principal challenge facing operators is the effective operation of deeper wells in the shallow water zone, typically operated by chemical injection.  Shallow water projects are those which take place within 1,000 feet of water while deep-water projects are in excess of this.  Gas drilling operations further split shallow water operations using the TVD (true vertical depth) of the production field and the water depth.

The main problem is the formation of hydrates which will result in costly platform shutdowns.  The increased pressure due to deeper wells, low sea temperatures and extremely lengthy tie-backs all mitigate in favor of extensive hydrate formation.

Another issue is the environmental implications of drilling operations in such as sensitive area.  Oil and gas production utilize equipment and raw materials which will result in severe environmental impact should there be an accidental discharge.  Handling harsh and toxic raw materials requires robust and reliable storage and pumping solutions together with secure redundancy and fail-safe systems.

Finally, there is the harsh environment posed by the salt water sea.  This is highly corrosive, however there is another issue posed by the salt-water environment.  Methanol use produces very hard, abrasive rust particles which will cause severe damage to pumping mechanisms.  Countering this are the pumping systems transferring the range of chemicals to counteract the impact of the environment upon the drilling infrastructure.